"Why is it so hard to practice gratitude on a daily basis?”
“I know I need to be grateful but some days I just don’t think there is anything to be grateful about”
“When life is good, I have all the gratitude in the world. But when it’s crap, it’s hard to see the light.
Gratitude is easy when life is easy
Practicing gratitude, being grateful, giving thanks…this is what all the happiness experts tell us to do.
It’s easy to notice the good things in life when everything is going smoothly.
It’s like imagine you’re at a white person’s Thanksgiving dinner and everyone around the table starts going in a circle, saying what they’re thankful for. It’s your turn but you can’t think of anything so you just come up with something generic.
“I’m grateful for my family.”
“I’m thankful for my health.”
“I’m grateful for this food.”
It’s so easy to default to one thing, person or place.
But when you keep saying the same thing, practicing gratitude becomes a mindless act and you start taking for granted whatever or whoever you’re grateful for.
I needed a format, a formula, some structure, a cue…something to remind me to practice gratitude as a habit while forcing me to think beyond the few token things.
Sign-up for my free Gratitude Exercise Worksheet --> sumonsleeve.com
